The presence of food spoilage organisms and pathogens in foods is a major concern to the food processing industry, government regulatory agencies, and consumers. Elimination of pathogenic contamination has been the subject of a great deal of study in the food industry and in the scientific community. In particular, elimination of Listeria monocytogenes has been the focus of numerous studies and articles. See, e.g., Barnes et al., Morbid. Mortal. Weekly Rep. 38:267–268 (1989). Buchanan et al, Appl Environ. Microbiol. 55:599–603 (1989); Bailey et al., J. Food Prot. 52:148–150 (1989); Gitter, Vet. Res. 99:336 (1976); and Farber et al., Can. Inst. Food Sci. Technol. J. 21:430–434 (1988).
Numerous attempts have been made to increase the microbiological stability of food products, especially for meat, poultry, and seafood products. Although far from exhausting, the following is provided to provide an overview of the art with regard to these efforts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,174 used a liquid smoke derivative to inhibit Listeria. Hop acids and hop acid derivatives in various forms have been used to inhibit Listeria. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,082,975, 5,286,506, and 5,455,038.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,573,800 and 5,573,801 provide an antimicrobial solution that includes nisin and/or pediocin along with a chelator, and processes for using the antimicrobial solution to treat the surface of foods by applying the composition to the entire surface of the food. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,110,509, 6,113,954, 6,136,351, and 6,242,017 used nisin-containing whey to inhibit various microorganisms in food products. See also, Jydegaard et al., Soc. Appl. Microbiology, 31, 68–72 (2000); Motlagh et al., J. Food Protection, 55, 337–343 (1992); Bhunia et al., J. Appl. Bacteriology, 70, 25–33 (1991). Ming et al., J. Food Sci., 62, 413–415 (1997) reported applying nisin and pediocin “powders” to food packaging materials to inhibit Listeria in meat and poultry products. Fang et al., J. Food Protection, 57, 479–484 (1994) employed nisin with a carbon dioxide atmosphere packaging for inhibition of microorganisms in pork products. Ray, “Pediocin(s) of Pediococcus Acidilactici as a Food Biopresevative,” in Food Biopreservatives of Microbial Origin, Chapter 10 (1992), provides a review of the use of antimicrobial compositions based on pediocins.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,487 provides a method using a lanthionine bacteriocin to treat the surface of meat products to inhibit contamination. U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,873 provides a process for the treatment of a hydrated food product by depositing an antimicrobial mixture containing lactoperoxidase, a thiocyanate, and an oxygen donor on the surface of the hydrated food product. U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,992 provides a method using quaternary ammonium compounds for inhibiting a broad spectrum of microorganisms (including Listeria) on food products.
Antioxidants (e.g., butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), and propyl gallate) have been used to provide antimicrobial activity in food products. See, e.g., Gailani et al., J. Food Protection, 47, 428–433 (1984); Raccach, J. Food Safety, 6, 141–170 (1984); Payne et al., J. Food Protection, 52, 151–153 (1989).
Although the art has provided improved protection of food products against microorganisms, there remains a need for even further improvements. Thus, it would be desirable to provide improved compositions and methods for imparting antibacterial and/or antimicrobial activity, especially Listeria-resisting activity, to food supplies for commercial channels of trade. It would also be desirable to provide Listeria protection in a simplified manner, especially for use in meat products such as wieners and sliced meat products. It would also be desirable to provide antimicrobial compositions which have more effective antimicrobial activities and especially more effective anti-Listeria activities for use in food products. The present invention provides such methods and compositions.